MEDFORD, MA (March 29, 2025) - On Saturday, the No. 7 Tufts women's tennis team returned to Medford after their Spring Break trip to Texas, looking to keep their momentum going against the No. 10-ranked Middlebury Panthers in a key NESCAC matchup. Historically, Middlebury has dominated this series, winning 14 of the last 15 meetings against Tufts.
Rachel Cranley and
Melanie Woodbury struggled at doubles No. 2, falling 0-6 to Elise Van Wieren and Claudia Miller. At the top spot,
Natalie Hu and
Stephanie Woodbury jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and closed out a strong 6-2 victory over Sahana Raman and Nina Farhat. The No. 3 duo of
Sophie Wax and
Ryan Wuhrman delivered the deciding doubles win in dramatic fashion. Leading 6-5, they were forced into a tiebreak, where they saved two match points at 4-6 before winning 8-6 over Lulu Wu and Nathalie Van Der Reis to give Tufts a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Middlebury responded strongly in singles, securing four wins to take the match.
Athena Li put Tufts on the board first, earning a straight-sets victory over Nathalie Van Der Reis at No. 5. After taking the first set 6-3, she broke at 5-4 in the second to close out the win and snap a two-match singles losing streak.
At No. 1,
Ellie Gershaw fought in a tense battle with Raman. Gershaw had multiple chances to take the opening set, twice serving for it at 5-4 and 6-5. However, Raman held strong, forcing a tiebreak, where she edged Gershaw 7-6 (7-5). The second set saw Raman take full control, breaking early and riding that momentum to beat Gershaw 6-2, giving Middlebury a crucial point.
Wax secured the opening set 6-4 over Charlotte McCann at No. 6 but couldn't maintain her momentum, but lost the next two sets 4-6, 2-6.
Lucy Mitchell delivered a strong performance at No. 4, edging out Wu in a tight first set. At 5-5, she hit a lob winner to break Wu's serve and took a 6-5 lead before sealing the set in a tiebreak 7-6 (7-5). After dropping the second set 1-6, she regrouped and dominated the final set 6-3 to earn Tufts' third overall point.
Cranley fought hard at No. 3 against Miller but ultimately fell in straight sets. After dropping the first set 2-6, she built a 3-1 lead in the second before Miller stormed back to take the set 4-6.
Melanie Woodbury was the last to finish at No. 2, taking on Van Wieren. Woodbury struggled to find her rhythm early, with Van Wieren dictating play and taking the first set 6-2. The second set followed a similar pattern, as Van Wieren raced out to a quick 3-0 lead before closing it out 6-0, securing the final point needed to clinch the match for Middlebury.
The Jumbos will continue their stretch of NESCAC matches with a pair of away matches next weekend. On Saturday they will travel to Clinton, New York to take on the unranked Hamilton Continentals in a match that they will be heavily favored to win. Then, on Sunday they will travel within Massachusetts to play the No. 12 Amherst Mammoths in what will likely be a very competitive match-up.
--JUMBOS--
ORDER OF FINISH 5, 1, 6, 4, 3, 2
